


Vagrant

by OrigamiRabbit



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, M/M, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-21 14:37:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9553040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrigamiRabbit/pseuds/OrigamiRabbit
Summary: It was quiet again. That sort of quiet that makes your ears ring. He’d fallen asleep to the crackle and spit of a small fire, but by now it had sputtered out of existence and he was left in the cold and the dark. He always woke up in the dark, tired, eyes barely open and his head throbbing. He missed being about to hear birds.





	

**Author's Note:**

> God okay, I'm just going to apologise here - I've watched like, two/three episodes of Voltron, but I love these two. So they're probably horribly out of character.
> 
> Also, I haven't proofread this. At all. I'm just posting it and hoping I can be bothered to proofread it in a bit. So, sorry for that too.

It was quiet again. That sort of quiet that makes your ears ring. He’d fallen asleep to the crackle and spit of a small fire, but by now it had sputtered out of existence and he was left in the cold and the dark. He always woke up in the dark, tired, eyes barely open and his head throbbing. He missed being about to hear birds. Hell, he missed being able to hear people. With an exhalation of breath, Keith lifted himself up from the floor. His bones ached, a grinding click up his spine making him wince and a groan escape from his throat. He sat for a moment, legs folded under him, a dusty, dirty sheet the only thing between him and the cold floor. Another thing he missed – sleeping in a bed. Though he couldn’t. He knew he’d sleep too deeply, and a deep sleep could be the death of him. He’d found one once, not a bed but a mattress. Someone had used it as part of a barrier, it was usable and intact, if not a bit dirty, but somehow it had survived where the barrier hadn’t. It had been tempting to drag it all the way back to his hideaway, but the risk of just that getting him killed was too high, let alone sleeping on it during the night. No, it was much better for him to sleep on the floor, discomfort made him a light sleeper, and a light sleeper was much more likely to stay alive. He’d seen others, too careless, who hadn’t made it through the night, and he wasn’t about to make that mistake.

The sun began its slow rise from the horizon. A faded orange glow lighting up a corner of his room. Dragging a hand over his face, Keith finally pushed himself onto his feet. Stretching his body up as far as he could, he then leaned forwards, wrapping his arms around the backs of his legs. He went through a series of poses, sitting on the floor, standing, against the wall. Waking up his body, making sure the risk of spraining anything was smaller. It didn’t take long, and within fifteen minutes he had thrown a bag over his back and a rifle over his shoulder. A knife sat snug on his hip, but that was always there – like the rest of his clothes, it was something he refused to take off.

It was a climb, to get out of where he slept. He’d chosen somewhere high up. Somewhere the stairs where unusable. Infected weren’t smart enough to climb an elevator shaft. He wasn’t right at the very top of the building, but it was far enough for him to be happy with, and the climb up and down wasn’t too bad. A rope he’d secured made it easier, but it still set his heart going when he looked down. Jumping down the last foot into the elevator, he paused and listened. Silence was good now, as much as he hated it, so he listened, taking careful steps forward toward the open side of the elevator. It was clear. It was always clear now. For a long time, he hadn’t seen anything roaming about here. It was further in the centre of the city, where the dust piled up and the bodies were left. Something he’d made sure to do, when Keith had first decided to set down here, was clear away the bodies. They seemed to be drawn to them, and not only that it made him queasy to see them. It had taken a few days. A shiver ran down Keith’s spine, those weren’t very fun times.

The way into the city was easy. It was peaceful, calm. The sun had reason quite a bit by now, though there was a constant haze to the air. A dust that just never seemed to settle. Keith didn’t want to think about it, what he was breathing in, but it hadn’t killed him yet. Lifting a hand, he made sure the scarf he wore was secure about the lower half of his face. A makeshift mask, not that he reckoned it made much of a difference – his throat was always scratching, and his lungs always hurt to breath, by the end of the day. It was worse down at city level, but he had no choice. Food supplies were running low. Everything was running low. Everything was always running low.

At least there was one thing he was grateful for – after travelling so far, finding a place he didn’t have to fight others was nice. He’d had to kill too many people. Too many people just trying to survive like him, but to desperate and panicking to think of surviving with anyone they didn’t know. Not that that mattered to him, he was better alone anyway. Especially now.

He had to walk further than he had done during the past week. Every building close by, he’d already looked through. He’d looked through them twice. Sometimes going back to the same place over and over, in the vain hope something worthwhile would appear. But it hadn’t, so he kept walking. He hated having to go so far in. Hated that he started seeing more dead people. More people in their cars, more people laying in the street. His eyes scanned over everything, hyper alert at all times, and it made him feel ill. In so many places, he saw bloody drag marks, pulled off into dark alleys he told himself he would never go into but he knew he would eventually. Desperation makes people do things they don’t want to do. Passing the limits of his last search area, Keith stopped to look around. It was still unnerving, being the only one left in a city. Nothing had changed or moved, no footprints marked the dust – not that he would see them, a gentle breeze quickly rolling dust and dirt over his over. Sighing, Keith turned to his left, heading for the most appealing building. It was a shop, the metal shutter only open at the bottom, enough for him to roll under. It had been looted, of course it had been looted, but there was bound to be something good in there. There had to be.

First things first, Keith checked everywhere. He was as quiet as he could be, keeping each step light, his hand ready over his blade, body crouched slightly. It was darker inside, his eyes squinting as they focused to the hazy dimness, but there was nothing. Three people dead, but no sign of anyone, anything else. Keith exhaled the breath that had caught in his chest and set about searching the shelves.

He didn’t know how long he had been looking through the shop, time was a difficult thing to measure nowadays, but he had packed a number of things into his bag – cans mostly, baked beans and mushy peas. He couldn’t remember the last time he tasted fresh food on his tongue. What was it like, eating fruit? Vegetables? Meat? God he missed his, he craved things he couldn’t have anymore. Cravings that hung around, stagnant on the air, because there was no way for him to satisfy them.

Something scuffed against the floor. Keith’s ears focused in on it instantly, the silence suddenly broken. Someone muttered, feet crunching old, stale food. He ducked in an instant, hiding in an aisle close to the back of the store and cursing his lack of escape. Someone was in here. Someone alive. Slowly, he eased himself to the end of the aisle, peeking his head round to take a look. He couldn’t see anything. Keith cursed under his breath, retreating back, his thoughts racing. No one was supposed to be here! At least no one, you know, alive. Maybe if he was quiet enough, he could sneak to the exit without them knowing he had been here. Shit! They were bound to know, thick muddied boots and a dusty trail where hard to miss in a city that was supposed to be empty. He needed to at least try. Again, Keith inch himself to the edge, taking another look before keeping his crouch and slowly crawling forwards. He looked down every aisle, expecting to see someone standing there, holding a gun to his head, but so far he hadn’t. He could feel his heart beating uncomfortably fast and loud, his breaths coming slow and shallow as he held each one as he moved.

His eyes got stuck more and more at the door the closer he came, making the exclamation of surprise to his right all the more alarming when it came. Keith’s eyes widened, his head whipping to the side to see a tall figure in the shadows of the shop. Keith cursed, standing at full height, grabbing his knife and yanking it free in the same instant. He was quickly poised, ready to fight if he had to. The man stood still for a moment, his hand frozen still behind his back, presumably going for a weapon just seconds before. It was like time just stopped in that moment. The two of them staring each other down, unsure of what to do, how to act. Should he attack? He was close enough, taking him down looked simple enough. He was tall, sure, but he didn’t look too strong. Keith’s eyes flicked to follow the slow, subtle movement of the strangers arm, still closing in on what Keith was now sure was a hidden weapon. Then something struck against the shutter. The both jumped, both looked towards the exit, wide eyed surprise warping into fear. Why – how was there infected here? Why now? Another crash hit the shutter. Another. Keith grit his teeth, how many of them were out there?! The street was empty when he came down it, there was nothing, not here, not this close to the outer edges. His face dropped. Oh, but he’d come further in.

A hand grabbed Keith’s arm and in a split second his blade was pressed against the stranger’s throat, but he froze, seeing no hostility in the blue of his eyes. Feeling the pressure of the blade ease, the stranger spoke, his voice so quiet Keith almost didn’t hear him.

“A way out?” Keith repeating, slightly louder. The stranger nodded, Keith noting his hand was still gently clasped around his arm. He was tempted to yank it away, but part of his feared making any sort of sound. “No,” Keith shook his head, “that’s it. What did you do to draw them here?” He hissed between clenched teeth. No. Calm down. The stranger rose an eyebrow.

“Me? What makes you think I brought them here?”

“Because they weren’t here before!”

“Shhh!” The stranger looked alarmed as Keith raised his voice, and Keith cursed himself. 

“What about the back door? There’s always a back door to shops.”

“Oh, smart idea genius, like I didn’t check that when I came here. No. The back door’s blocked.”

“Shit.”

Keith glanced back over to the entrance, a growing shadow of feet appearing by the gap.

“Well what are we gonna do?”

“I –” Keith didn’t know, and he could feel the panic rising in his chest. Maybe they would go away if they were quiet enough? No, stupid idea. All it took was one stupid infected tripping over another and before they knew it they’d be crawling under the shutter. There had to be a way out, if they could just get out they could lose the horde in the city. “Break the window.” He stated bluntly.

“What?”

“If we can break the window we at least have a fighting chance.” He pulled his arm free of the stranger, sliding the gun from his shoulder and aiming his sight at the window before the stranger could voice any objections. A shoot rang out in seconds, a ringing in his ears blocking the sound of shattering glass. The crashing against the shutter stopped, and suddenly the feet were shuffling to the brand new entrance Keith had so thoughtfully provided. Again, the strangers hand found its way around Keith’s arm and before he knew it he’d been dragged forwards into a run, the both of them leaping through the window and into the city street before the infected had chance to fully block their way. They didn’t break their moment, the stranger leading them further into the city. Keith panicked, pulling at his arm and forcing the two to a stop.

“Fu – We don’t have time to stop!” The stranger called, alarmed and watching the infected in the distance. They were good at following, and gradually picking up speed.

“You’re going the wrong way.” Keith replied, “the city centre will just be worse.”

“Then where do you suggest we go, pretty boy? If you hadn’t noticed, there’s infected blocking our way that way, and I don’t really want to be getting lost.”

“Pretty boy? Whatever, look, we have to get further out of the city, that way.” Keith signalled behind him.

“H-oh no. Not happening. If you have a death wish, that’s on you.” The stranger turned to keep going, but something drove Keith to grab his arm, stopping and turning him back around. The stranger growled in response, looking as if he were about to speak. Keith didn’t let him, instead pulling on his arm and this time he was the one leading them, full sprint, through the streets. He headed to the side, into one of those dark alley’s he really didn’t want to be down. But it was a way around, and right now it was better than nothing.

Only once did they have to fight their way past the infected, a smaller group than before, but difficult nonetheless. But eventually Keith’s building was in sight and relief filled his chest. Slowing down, Keith let the stranger go, not even bothering to turn around to make sure he was okay, and instead just carried on walking. He scanned the area as he went, but there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

“Hey, wait up!” The stranger jogged to catch up, walking by his side and still a little out of breath. “Where are you going?”

Keith looked suspiciously toward the stranger, stopping. “Actually, that’s a point. Stop following me. Go back to wherever you came from.”

“What? No. No way.” The stranger gestured his hands wildly, shaking his head as he spoke. “Not going to happen. I don’t have anywhere to go anyway, I was passing through the city, not sightseeing.”

“Well, then, keeping passing through.”

“With a horde like that wandering about? I’m not stupid.”

Keith snorted, “Is that so?”

“Hey, mullet man! You’re the one who lured the zombies after us!” The stranger pouted indignantly, crossing his arms and straightening his back.

“Me? No, you’ve got that backwards. I was perfectly fine until you showed up.” Keith started walking again, intent on getting away from him. He was tired.

The stranger persisted. “Come on, it’s safer to be with someone else. Wouldn’t it be better for us to stick together?”

“No.” Keith glanced to the stranger, a stupid overdramatic pleading expression plastered all over his face. Keith groaned. “Fine. But if you steal anything, I will kill you.”

“Score!”  
\-----

Keith was sat pressed into a corner, trying his best to seem busy when all he was really doing was watching Lance take a part and clean his gun. Lance. They’d finally exchanged names, though Keith had done so reluctantly. The last person he’d told his name told ended up dying, dragged down into the eager, hungry arms of the infected. Keith shuddered. But he couldn’t have not told him. The way he’d leant against the door frame, arms folded as he watched Keith enter the room, “the names Lance.” It was so casual, as if they hadn’t been seconds away from killing each other earlier that day. And the way he’d looked at him so expectantly afterward, it just kind of spilled out. Curt and sharp, just his name and nothing else. From that point they hadn’t said much else to each other, though Lance had tried. Conversations had a tendency to fall flat though, with Keith around. So they sat in silence, the light slowly drifting from the room as night approached. It occurred to Keith that he should start a fire, it got cold at night, too cold, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.

It was the first time in a long time he hadn’t been able to drift off to the sound or sight of a fire. It made it hard to close his eyes, so he just stared at the wall, his back to Lance and his arms hugging tight around his body as he willed himself not to shiver. He heard movement behind him, Lance muttering something under his breath before he started shuffling closer. Keith didn’t move, closing his eyes tight, pretending to be asleep. Movement close to his back set his heart thrumming in his chest, and then Lance had shoved his arm around his waist, warmth filling the space between them. The very small space between them. Keith jumped, his hand clamping down on Lance’s arm as he moved to shove him away, but Lance was holding on tight. “What are you doing?!” Keith exclaimed, alarmed being an understatement.

“Trying not to freeze to death! It’s fucking cold and you’re about the only warm thing here, so stop struggling.” Lance just held on tighter, his body cold and shivering but warming and much nicer than just the cold air, as much as Keith was loathed to admit it.

“Just don’t try anything… Weird.” Keith mumbled, settling back down begrudgingly. He continued to stare at the wall, no longer having to stop himself from shivering, but instead his mind was all too focused to the weight pressed against him.

“In your dreams, pretty boy.” The words were muttered, slurred, Lance already quickly drifting off to sleep, his arm relaxing around Keith.

Keith couldn't settle. His face felt hot, his heart wouldn't calm down and he felt sick in his stomach. When was the last time he spoke to a actually living person? Let alone - Keith screwed his eyes shut. They were only doing this because it was so cold. That all, sharing the warmth and all that. So why did it make him feel so weird?

When morning came, it was the light that woke him up. His brow creased as he opened his eyes, sun shining across his face. It was warm. Keith blinked. Once. Twice. Staring up at the ceiling. His brain still fumbling through sleep addled thoughts. Lazily, he sat up, slapping a hand to his face and running it up through his hair. He still felt tired. But it was a different kind of tired, like he'd slept too much and his body was punishing him for it. Looking to his side, he half expected to see Lance, but he was nowhere to be found. Keith’s heart skipped and he jumped to his feet. It wasn't a big room, he should have been able to see if Lance was there but he wasn't. Keith cursed himself. Shit. Shit, shit! He'd been stupid, letting someone he didn't know into his hideaway. And why hadn't he woken up? Why was it daylight? Keith cursed himself again. Stupid. Keith rushed to check his belongings. Right, okay. Everything was still there. So - so what? Lance had just left? He didn't even – didn’t what? Say goodbye? Keith laughed humourlessly. They'd known each other for a day, and the only reason it'd been that long was because of the surprise infected party in the city. Lance was under no obligation to say goodbye. And why should Keith want him to? He was just stood in the centre of the room, a little lost as to what to do. Right. To the city then. Infected or not, he needed to make sure he didn't run low on food.

"I thought you were never going to wake up."

The voice was familiar. Startled, Keith turned to the door, a shit eating grin on Lances face. "Did the Princess need their beauty sleep?"

Keith closed the gap between them, swinging his fist and punching Lances arm, earning him a pained exclamation. Lance stood rubbing his arm, a question on his parted lips. Keith paused for a breath. He wasn't sure why he'd done that. "For last night, asshole."

"Oh please, you loved it. You were sleeping so peacefully and snoring so loudly this morning." Lance walked further into the room, leaving Keith standing by the door, arms folded across his chest.

"I don't snore."

"Oh yes you do. Not the most beautiful sound to have to wake up to."

Keith rose an eyebrow, suddenly remembering that Lance was, in fact, still here. And he wasn't mad about it. "Where did you go?"

"Aww, you miss me?" Keith stared at him blankly. With a sigh, Lance shrugged his shoulders. "To get something to burn, I figured you'd prefer to have a fire going." He indicated the wood he had cradled under his arm, which Keith had failed to notice before. It was a pitiful amount, really, but it was something. He had run out of burnable items. "Oh. Thanks."

They spent the rest of the day searching those parts of the city Keith had already searched, both to stubborn to admit the fact that they were scared of going any further. Keith couldn't remember the last time he'd ever gotten so frustrated with someone, but the competition to find more than the other kept his mind busy from the lack of anything to find. Lance cheered when he dragged a t-shirt from under the rubble. Keith rubbed it in his face when he found a packet of peanuts. It was stupid, but he felt laughter bubble in his chest more in that day than he had in months. Or was it years? Keith made any excuse to make contact, mostly when they bickered and fought. It was almost enough to make him forget everything else.

This happened a lot, for weeks. Somehow they stayed together, somehow Keith wanted them to stay together. Having no one around was easy, he got used to it. He hadn't needed anyone. But having Lance there... He was reminded of all those moments he'd been starved for someone. Talking to himself because the silence just got to be too much. Having Lance there, he kept catching himself staring longer and longer. At the smoothness of his skin, that stupid smile, how blue his eyes where, his long fingers. Keith was coming to the slow realisation of just how touch starved he had been. Lance’s body was more toned than he'd thought when Keith had first seen him, it made his heart throb and his throat go dry. He worried more now, that he'd left alone again. He didn’t say anything about it.

“Why where you in the city?” The question had left Keith’s mouth before he really had time to think about it. He stared into the fire that sat between them, arms hugging his legs close, chin resting on his knees. Lance looked up at him, half way with a spoon in his mouth. Questionably in date mushy pea residue on the corner of his mouth. Keith’s glaze flicked to Lance’s mouth, then back to the fire. 

“Oh, I don’t know. Trying to find some people.”

Keith sat up a little straighter. “To find people? Who?”

“My friends. We got, uh, we got split up. Kind of lost them, I guess. We were heading somewhere. Apparently some sort of ‘safe zone’, military run. Well, from what we caught on the radio.”

Keith frowned. “Why haven’t you left to find them yet? You could have gone ages ago, why stay? They might think you’re dead.” ‘Or they’re dead.’ 

Lance put the can of food down, leaning back on his hands. “I’m not sure exactly. I guess – well this city’s on the way, they should pass through sooner or later, so I guess I figured we’d just – find each other again?”

Keith shook his head. That was stupid. “How do you know that?”

Lance shrugged, grinned. “Faith? Instinct? I am pretty brilliant.” 

Keith snorted, shifting to he was sat cross legged, looking across the flames to Lance. The way the fire lit up his skin, made him glow, was distracting. 

Lance leant forwards, arms resting against his legs. “I was scared, I guess.” His voice was a whisper.

“You? Scared?”

“Well, yeah! You know… Of not finding them. Or maybe, argh. I don’t know.”

Keith frowned, “what?”

“I was just thinking, maybe they weren’t even looking for me. It’s not like they need me for anything.”

Keith stared at Lance blankly, watching as his arms retreated up his body, folded across his chest defensively. “Don’t be stupid.”

Lance laughed, though it was a dry laugh. “I just got in the way. I’m surprised you’ve put up with me for so long.”

“Not like I can get rid of you.”

“Yeah, right.” Another chuckle, a little lighter. 

Keith sighed. “You’re not – completely useless.” He whispered.

“Huh?”

“I said you’re not completely useless. You know, you’re actually pretty good at finding stuff. And you’re aim is much better than mine. I won’t say you’re stronger, because I can still beat you in a fight, but you’re not that bad.”

“Heh, you’re not too bad yourself, pretty boy.”

Silence fell over them again, the two of them losing themselves in their own thoughts. It was late. At least, it felt late. Tired, Keith sighed and stood, Lance’s attention drawn to the movement and now looking up at him. Keith signalled the makeshift bed by the back wall, “going to sleep.”

\-----  
They’d gotten in to the habit of sleeping next to each other. Not like how Lance did that first night, but laying side by side the way they did now meant it was much warmer than if they slept separately. Keith couldn’t sleep though, and he was sure neither could Lance. His breathing wasn’t that slow, rhythmic breathing of sleep, and he wasn’t snoring. Not even quietly, like he did a lot. He felt guilty, even though he wasn’t the reason why Lance had stayed with him for so long. But still, he couldn’t help but feel like that. Keith rolled onto his back, looking from the corner of his eye to Lance. His back was to him, Lance laying on his arm, not moving except the rise and fall of his chest. Keith’s heart skipped, eyes following the lines of Lance’s body, the dying embers creating a halo around his body. “Lance?” Keith whispered, hoping he was actually awake. 

“Mm?” He didn’t roll over.

“You should go look for your friends. They’d be worried.”

After a moment, Lance rolled over, facing Keith this time. “What about you?”

“What about me? I’m used to being on my own, was until you showed up and insisted on staying.” Keith shrugged, looking up at the ceiling.

Lance laughed. “You can’t just stay on your own all the time.” He paused. “Why don’t you come with me?”

“I don’t – I don’t know.” 

Propping himself up on his elbow, Lance frowned down at Keith. “Come with me.”

Keith shook his head, “why? I’m just someone you stuck around because I was here. And I’ve – I’ve always done better on my own.”

Lance sighed. “I didn’t just ‘stick around’ because I was scared of going you know. Well, that’s not the only reason.”

Keith turned to look at Lance, his face shadowed, but his eyes piercing nonetheless. He swallowed. 

“Shit, you’re killing me with that look.” Lance shook his head. Keith could see his pulse, hard and fast, against his long neck. His skin flushed and his brow furrowed. Lance’s head lowered, closer, but he hesitated and Keith didn’t move. He could feel his heart beat faster, skip, and for a moment his mind went blank. The exact moment Lance sucked in a breath between his teeth and pressed his lips against Keith’s. It was awkward, with how they were positioned, and their teeth clacked together, but after that initial pause, suddenly Keith couldn’t help himself but to return the kiss. He lifted his hand up, caressing the side of Lance’s face, fingers running through and tangling in his hair. He angled his body, pushing himself up and pulling Lance forward so their bodies pressed together. It didn’t last anyway near long enough, Lance pulling himself up and away, embarrassment a crimson shade on his face. “What was that for?” Keith breathed, finding himself out of breath, skin hot. Lance blinked.

“I uh, I’ve wanted to do that for a while. Thought you might punch me.”

Keith hesitated. Laughed. Sitting up, he shuffled so he and Lance faced each other, his hand reaching up to, again, rest on the side of Lance’s face. “With a kiss like that, I might have to.” Keith crawled forwards, awkward but confident in his movements as he lead Lance to his back, Keith straddling him. He leant forward touching his lips to the corner of Lance’s mouth, his jaw, moving down his neck and listening to the way Lance’s breath hitched. Keith opened his mouth further, teeth grazing over his collar bone, biting hard, sucking the spot red and bruised before moving on, leaving a trail over his neck. A sound escaped Lance’s throat that set a fire in his stomach and Keith lifted away, tangled his fingers in Lance’s hair and kissed him on the lips. They were chapped, but the way kissing him left Keith’s lips tingling made him never want to stop. How his tongue teased along his mouth. How he bite gently, how they pressed themselves closer to each other. 

When they parted again, Lance looked how Keith felt. Buzzing, like they were dreaming. He opened his mouth, teasing. Red. “Come with me.”

Keith couldn’t say no.


End file.
